GIFTS

Words are Gifts

Comment Turned Slice

“The communal experience is truly enriching. The different perspectives sometimes grown from the variety of experiences makes for a kaleidoscope of beauty. Yes rich in our diversity, I agree.“

I wrote the above comment to the slice written by DMorris yesterday. After reading the comment I had written, I said to myself,

“This could make a perfect slice.”

She wrote about the variety of responses when writing to one prompt. This shares our experience in class, in a truly engaged, group of students the responses are sometimes intriguing as they take you where you did not even envisage.

This happens especially when they’ve been exposed to texts and have the opportunity to discuss, analyse and share their perspectives. I always remember a colleague, about ten years ago, who shared a daily poem in her fifth grade class and made it an interactive board for the day. Students would share their understanding daily on post-its and stick it on the poem. I’m sure they had a group share at some point.

This ritual stayed with me, as the day I saw this happen, I was impressed about the choice of responses and the deep thinking that went on in the class. That takes me back to my comment.

“The communal experience is truly enriching. The different perspectives sometimes grown from the variety of experiences makes for a kaleidoscope of beauty. Yes rich in our diversity, I agree.“

Juliette Awua-Kyerematen's avatar

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Juliette Awua-Kyerematen

5 responses to “Comment Turned Slice”

  1. kimhaynesjohnson Avatar
    kimhaynesjohnson

    Sometimes comments take us down a road we never saw. A perspective from a whole different angle. It’s a sweet moment when that happens, and the power of community is felt so strongly. I don’t think there is a more magical moment than a comment that brings a whole new lens to our writing. I’m so thankful you saw this reader’s comment and shared its meaning today.

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  2. Erika Avatar
    Erika

    I love the way you crafted this from a comment. The poetry response you wrote about seems so manageable and meaningful. We are rich in our diversity.

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. mschiubookawrites Avatar
    mschiubookawrites

    What an insightful and beautifully crafted comment you use to bookend this slice. I also enjoyed learning about your colleague’s daily poem. I love how this community gets us to read, write and think more deeply.

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  4. Melanie White Avatar
    Melanie White

    I’d never thought about the comments as prompts until both Sherri and you did it so beautifully – this is gratitude returned and doubled. The sharing of poems is a powerful reminder that our inner lives are often more complicated than appears on the outside or even through our own words.

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  5. Wondering and Wandering Avatar
    Wondering and Wandering

    You never know where inspiration will come from, Juliette. Great spotting that in your own comment! And I agree, that there is nothing like a shared experience. I love writing stories and poems together WITH my Kindergarteners based on our shared experiences. And the best thing is when later in the year one student will say, “Remember that day when…”

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About Me

I am an Elementary school teacher , I taught at an International IB School in Accra, Ghana. I am now teaching in Hanoi. Writing is my passion and I try to write daily, at least in my sentence a day journal, to capture all the blessings around me. I write with groups of writers, such as Teach Write and sometimes Ethical ELA. I also encourage my friends to write , so I created a platform to make that possible -Writing Run.

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